Rite of Passage
by A Nonny Mouse
Summary: My first TP fic. Please give me suggestions. In a nutshell- it's about a 2nd generation on a quest.
1. Default Chapter Title

Rite of Passage

*** 

This is a fanfic about the 2nd generation. All characters you recognize belong to Tamora Pierce. Ilane, and Baird II of Queenscove, Onua and Sarra Sarrasri-Salmalin of Magekaeep, and my names for Alana's twins are mine. Sorry about the cliff-hanger. Please review.

*** 

The girl sat on a rock, her reddish-brown hair trailing behind her into the snow. Lids closed over the emerald eyes, fringed in soot black lashes. Her clothes were the rough garb of a boy, but stones winked in each ear. The sandy-haired, gray-eyed boy beside was a good four years younger than her, and was playing with stones. These were Ilane and Baird of Queenscove, and they had business here, on the coldest night of the year. A pale girl with thick, dark curls and mismatched eyes climbed the hill, her blue and brown eyes squinted against the pale sun. She was half-carrying a frail girl, with brown hair and blue eyes that were almost white. A raft carrying adults floated in midair. Both had reddish-blond hair and violet eyes.

The odd-eyed girl called, 

"Is this everyone?"

"Yeah, no one else could make it."

The twins on the raft disembarked.

"Aliane! Myles! Over here!"

"Sarra! Onua! Ilane! Baird!"

Ilane of Queenscove ran to the assistance of Sarra and Onua Sarrasri-Salmalin of Magekeep. 

"Sarra, come over here."

Sarra looked at her with her blue-and-brown eyes, then sat in front of the rock. Aliane and Myles of Trebond, Oleau and Pirate's Swoop began to build a large snow fortress.

"Da taught us. It'll keep out the cold," Aliane said, her blondish braids swinging behind her.

"Ali's right. We have to keep warm," her twin added. Myles' nose was an unfetching blue. When they had finished, they all trooped inside and pulled the raft over the door to keep warm. Myles performed a simple fire spell, and flames formed on the snow.

"So, our search brings us here, to the shore of the Ice River."

Onua began to cough feebly. Always sickly, her illness had slowly progressed. She should not have been there, but with her parents trapped half-way round the world, at the place known as Chitral's Pass, to be precise, she had to remain with her sister.

"Thom used to tell tales of Chitral," Aliane said, then sighed. Thom, two years older than herself and her twin, closer, indeed, to Ilane and Baird's mother Keladry than anyone else, had gone through the Ordeal of Mastery. He was now the second-youngest ever Master of the Mithran Light, and studying in Carthak to become a Black Robe. Eventually he would be more powerful than even his doomed namesake, her Uncle Thom, dead early in life, killed by his own vanity. He had been the youngest ever Master, and Thom was following in his footsteps. She worried over her brother, who might one day become as cold, vain and almost heartless as the first Thom of Trebond. Myles looked at her, then turned to the others.

"Ali and I are a little young for this, but there was no one else, so we have to come. You have not been trained." Myles laughed and pounded the floor for emphasis, the light catching the silver Dragons embroidered on his gloves. Trained by Eda Bell, the Wildcat, he had followed in the footsteps of Liam Ironarm, and was the Shang Dragon. His sister was a knight, though she had started late. He turned to twelve-year-old Sarra Sarrasri-Salmalin and ten year old Onua.

"We know where your parents are, and may able to divine from Verilidaine and Numair's location that of our parents and of Keladry and Nealan. The others won't be much help, they're all at the palace."

Sarra watched him.

"When this is over, will I be a mage?"

"Sarra, if you survive this, that will be heroism enough, for Ali and I have been ordered to leave at a certain point-to be precise, the desert. We wish to speak with our tribe-mates, and bring news of Kara and Kourrem to our parents, when they are found."

"I see."

Ilane looked at them through half-closed eyes. She was not yet used to the Tortallan time, after spending three years at the Yamani court, she had returned a month before and had some sort of jet-lag affecting her Gift and draining her energy.

"We have to start out tomorrow. If something goes wrong, what happens?"

"Our parents die, and we may also."


	2. Default Chapter Title

Rite of Passage 2- Suspicions

Anything from Tamora Pierce is hers. Plot, my names for the twins, Onua, Sarra, Ilane, and Baird are mine. Thankz to all you reviewed. It made my day!

*** 

"If something goes wrong, what happens?"

"Our parents die, and we may also."

That had been a month before, and the group was still trying to get to the top of the first mountain. That had been because whoever-it-was who had Kel, Neal, Alanna and George had sent a ransom note, and Aliane had gone haring after them. She was dead. That hurt her twin more deeply than anything did. The one person he could truly talk to was dead. And Thom didn't care. The arrogant, Mithros-cursed, Master of the Mithran Light and Black Robe of Carthak didn't care. Why should he? Ali had only been his younger sister. His only sister. Myles picked at his gloves. His twin's body was lying somewhere rotting, and he was stuck with four preteens with missing parents. He felt like just abandoning them by the roadside- why was he thinking like this? These children were his responsibility, the children of his friends and his parent's friends.

"Myles?" It was a timid voice, Sarra. 

"What is it?"

"Chitral's Pass...I don't understand this quest. I know we have to save our parents, that if we do we'll be mages...but...why us? Why won't anyone from the palace help?"

"This is our fight." He would have explained more, but Sarra's sister Onua began to cough, and the older girl ran to her assistance. 'Lucky child,' Myles thought, 'nothing to haunt her sleep, turn her mind.." The dreams had returned. He saw the past. What his Uncle Thom had done. But the eyes of the Dream-Thom were not violet, like the first Thom's had been. They were hazel, and filled with bitterness. The people he brought back from the dead were not dead yet. Keladry and Nealan. His parents Alanna and George. 'Something is wrong,' Myles thought, 'and what on Earth can I do about it?'

He studied the charts he had drawn up of everyone, even himself and his sister.

**__**

Queenscove and Mindelan, Baird

Age: 8

Hair: Brown-blond

Eyes: Grey

Skin: Pale

Distinguishing Features: Doesn't talk much, Immortals love him for an unknown reason.

Nationality: Tortallan

Power: None- no magic

Apprenticeship: N/A (too young, dreams of being a knight)

Parents: Nealan of Queenscove/Keladry of Mindelan

Connection: Parents disappeared

Interesting Facts: Has sister, Ilane of Queenscove and Mindelan (see below)

**__**

Queenscove and Mildelan, Ilane

Age: 12

Hair: Reddish brown

Eyes: Green

Skin: Pale

Distinguishing Features: Pierced ears, mole on right arm, wears boys clothing

Nationality: Tortallan

Power: the Gift

Apprenticeship: Knight

Parents: Nealan of Queenscove/Keladry of Midelan

Connection: Parents disappeared

Interesting Facts: Has brother, Baird of Queenscove and Mindelan (see above)

**__**

Sarrasri-Salmalin, Onua

Age: 10

Hair: Brown, shoulder length, straight

Eyes: White-blue

Skin: Pale

Distinguishing Features: Sickly, cross-shaped scar on left hand

Nationality: ½ Carthaki, ¼ Gallan, ¼ God 

Power: Wild Magic

Apprenticeship: Wildmage

Parents: Numair Salmalin (Arram Draper)/Verilidaine Sarrasri

Connection: Parents trapped at Chitral's Pass, reason unknown. Were trapped at same time of disappearance of Alanna, Kel, George and Neal 

Interesting Facts: Has sister, Sarra Sarrasri-Salmalin (see below)

**__**

Sarrasri-Salmalin, Sarra 

Age: 12

Hair: True black, to midwaist, curls

Eyes: Left eye blue, right eye brown

Skin: Naturally tan

Distinguishing Features: Very long hands, blue traditional Carthaki tattoo on right ankle

Nationality: ¼ Gallan, ½ Carthaki, ¼ God 

Power: the Gift, can sense animal's feelings, but no Wild Magic

Apprenticeship: Mage

Parents: Numair Salmalin (Arram Draper)/Verilidaine Sarrasri

Connection: Parents trapped at Chitral's Pass, reason unknown. Were trapped at same time of disappearance of Alanna, Kel, George and Neal

Interesting Facts: Has sister, Onua Sarrasri-Salmalin (see above)

**__**

Trebond, Olau and Pirates Swoop, Aliane

Age: 29

Hair: Red-blonde, long and braided

Eyes: Violet

Skin: Pale, but tanned

Distinguishing Features: Wears crystal charm on right hand, scar from left elbow to collarbone

Nationality: Tortallan

Power: the Gift

Apprenticeship: N/A (already a knight)

Parents: Baron George of Pirates Swoop/Lady-Sir Alanna of Trebond and Olau 

Connection: Parents disappeared

Interesting Facts: has twin, Myles of Trebond, Olau, and Pirates Swoop, and elder brother, Thom of Trebond, Olau, and Pirates Swoop, age 31

**__**

Trebond, Olau and Pirates Swoop, Myles

Age: 29 

Hair: Red-blonde

Eyes: Violet

Skin: Pale

Distinguishing Features: Turns blue when cold, stutters when truly angry, slight limp

Nationality: Tortallan

Power: the Gift

Apprenticeship: N/A (already the Shang Dragon)

Parents: Baron George of Pirates Swoop/Lady-Sir Alanna of Trebond and Olau

Connection: Parents disappeared

Interesting Facts: has twin, Aliane of Trebond, Olau and Pirates Swoop, and elder brother, Thom of Trebond, Olau, and Pirates Swoop, age 31

He sighed then turned again to Aliane's profile. He bit his lip, then turned to the column reading Age: 29. He sighed and crossed out the numeral, then wrote 'deceased'. He then updated his own 'Interesting Facts' column. He stared hard at Aliane's profile, now reading Age: 29 deceased. Then he deliberately picked up his brush and began to write in another column for everyone- Motives. He turned over a sheet and began to write out a 

List of Possible Suspects

Thom

Lord-Sir Raoul

Lord-Sir Gary

King Jonathan

Queen Thayet

Sir Seaver

Sir Faleron

Sir Cleon

Sir Joren

Sir Zahir 

Sir Quinden

Sir Merric

Sir Esmond

Royal Family

Emperor of Carthak

Scanra

Yaman

He stopped. There was no way he could prove any of this. It was wishful thinking. These people could be completely blameless. It could be someone not on the list. But if it was...he could avenge his sister, find his parents, prove to himself that Thom was not evil, just more like his grandfather Sir Alan than was thought...that would be worth it. And with that he called to the others,

"Come! I've an idea!"


End file.
